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Topic: Pre/post volume matching & metering (Read 2236 times)

I have my Weiss DAC2 set up to monitor the ADC of my HEDD192, routed through the RME AES-32. This allows me to do pre/post comparisons with the monitor input of my console. Earlier, I have simply adjusted the monitor volume when comparing.

Recently I was reading the manual for the Weiss, and noticed it has a volume control mode. I tested it for pre/post comparison volume adjustment and liked it, so from now on I'll be working like this.

On the other hand, this destroys my plan of feeding the VU's from the console's monitor source switch. Because the "post" is always just a whatever floating value for overall level, all you could meter with the VU's would be the amount of compression, relative to source.

The VU's are not installed yet, and I haven't yet built my new console either because I've been going back and forth in the meter's physical placement (I might not be putting the VU's in the console afterall).

Now I'm thinking I should get a cheap DAC just to feed the VU's. The VU panel would have a source switch for input from this DAC (monitoring the ADC), as well from the console's monitor source for direct DAW metering. Meter pads, too.

I'm probably not the only one who has been putting things together like this - where did you end up to?

Now I'm thinking I should get a cheap DAC just to feed the VU's. The VU panel would have a source switch for input from this DAC (monitoring the ADC), as well from the console's monitor source for direct DAW metering. Meter pads, too.

I'm probably not the only one who has been putting things together like this - where did you end up to?

I could, but the ADC clipping wouldn't show, and I'd like to be able to include the peak reduction in the read, no matter how tiny it might be. Or not so tiny - I deal with a lot of brutal and experimental genres.

Patrik & Thomas, I'm beginning to like the separate DAC idea. It is indeed easy to route the meters to read whatever I want using the Totalmix, although I would prefer a hardware solution.

RME's a cool, by the way. I used a Lynx II for years, and no matter how stable they are, the software is somehow really confusing to me.

fwiw - I have a now discontinued Soundscape/Apogee 896i/o that I use tied to the Sydec Mixtreme 192 card as the AES i/o for my capture DAW - and it also has 8 channels analog i/o. Generally I just use it to send via AES to and from my Lavry, Mytek, and Lucid converters - but it's super easy to send out of the unused DAC to one of my Logitek LED VU/PPM's. I have 6 channels of these so and have my Coleman's monitor controller extra meter output go out to 2nd pair so that I can see both the actual monitor output level as well as the capture DAW's internal level at once (and use the other 2 channels to read levels from my turntable). Hope all this might give you some ideas for your own setup.

I've been using the analog outs of the Panasonic SV-3800 for years to drive Sifam VUs that are buffered with a network of series and parallel resistors. I have a spreadsheet from Christopher Hicks, PhD., which is for Excel, that allows any VUs to be tuned to respond, with proper ballistics, to any reference level with respect to the digital conversion to analog. (PM me for a copy with instructions.) The DAT has to be in pause/rec mode in order to send the signal, but I have found this mode to be something the Panny can stay in all day long for many years, without releasing the magic smoke. Another cool thing is that the SV series has an adjustable analog output, so you can have the same meter be used for different calibrations of 0 VU. What else are you using those DACs for? How about the DACs on your hardware L2? They would work just fine for this application, even though it would only be for transfers in progress. Whereas, with the DAT machine and a z-8.8, you have a digital transfer console.

Like some others, here, I have been using -14 dB FSD = 0.775 VRMS = - 6VU (i.e., 0 VU = -8 dB FSD). This is for CD mastering.

I really like the new logo, Viitalahde!

Andrew

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